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From: sobiloff@thor.acc.stolaf.edu (Chrome Cboy)
Newsgroups: comp.society.futures
Subject: Re: Thinking Machines
Message-ID: <1990Dec1.061310.23783@acc.stolaf.edu>
Date: 1 Dec 90 06:13:10 GMT
References: <9^}^-!+@rpi.edu>
Sender: news@acc.stolaf.edu
Reply-To: sobiloff@thor.acc.stolaf.edu (Chrome Cboy)
Organization: St. Olaf College; Northfield, MN
Lines: 29

In article <9^}^-!+@rpi.edu> lunwic@aix03.aix.rpi.edu (Jeffrey G Lunn) writes:
>should we let such thinking machines exist?  I feel that people would be too
>tempted to let such machines take over previously human thinking tasks such
>as figuring out difficult mathematical problems or searching for new elementary
>physics particles or even writing poetry.  It is possible that by letting
>machines do the cerebral work, the collective human mind would stagnate from
>lack of meaningful stimulation.  Then humans would live for nothing but to
>survive and to be as comfortable as possible.  I do not consider this a
>meaningful way of life.  What do others think?  Can mankind develop such
>machines without sacrificing their drive for mental stimulation?  Or would
>the situation that I described occur?                                   

Feh, you answered your own question. What you worry about happening won't
happen because individuals wouldn't consider living like a vegetable a
meaningful way of life. OK, of course this is a generalization, but generally
people need something to do or they go nuts. Let a computer write all the
poetry in the world and the human poet still won't get any satisfaction out
of it--the poet needs to write.

So, mankind certainly could develop such machines. But far more interesting
to me is the question of what the status of these intelligent machines
might be. Are they going to be seen as equals and given equal rights with
flesh-and-blood people, or are we just going to threaten to pull their plug
if they don't do what we want?
--
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___________________________________________________/ Chrome Cboy \______________
| "With the zeal of Amerigo Vespucci, who 'discovered' the Americas some years |
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